The Great Candy Crisis
by Erin T. Aardvark
Summary: The instant popularity of a candy called Berserkers has the Impossibles suspicious. Could there be something sinister behind this seemingly innocent confection?
1. Little Sister

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was intentionally going to be something for my "Camp Monkee Mallard" site (see my profile for details on the site), but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would work better as an Impossibles story. In anycase, as always, The Impossibles and Big D belong to Hanna-Barbera. Everyone else you run across is mine. It should also be noted that everything mentioned about the Impossibles background is fictionalized, due to the fact that their background history was never given on the cartoon. I know I've stated that before, but it doesn't hurt to drive the point across._

* * *

Our story begins in the cafeteria/auditorium of Megatropolis Elementary School. The Impossibles were playing a benefit concert there, to help raise money for the school. Coiley had been a student there, but Multi and Fluey hadn't. Fluey had been schooled by the Megatropolis Children's Home until he was around eleven, and Multi went to a school in his hometown of Southwest Harbor, Maine. His family moved to Megatropolis after his father had been transferred there when he was twelve. The boys didn't meet until the start of seventh grade at Megatropolis Junior High, and from there, they became inseparable. They didn't form their band until they became freshmen at Megatropolis High School, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The boys weren't too happy about this gig. They didn't like playing for a room full of screaming kids. Sure, they were used to screaming kids, but those were teenagers. Here, they were playing for a room full of pre-preteens, kindergardeners through sixth graders. There was only one reason they took this gig, and her name was Courtney Collins. She was Coiley's ten-year-old sister. She had boasted she could get the Impossibles to play for their fund raiser, since her big brother was one of them. Coiley had declined at first, but Courtney complained to their parents, and they had played the "Be Nice To Your Little Sister" card. And whenever one of them said _that_, Coiley was stuck doing what Courtney wanted.

Once they were finished with their set, they took a break.

"Man, this is one of the worst gigs we've ever played," Fluey grumbled. "We're not even getting paid for it!"

"I know," Coiley said. "All because my kid sister had to open her big fat mouth. I just hope she doesn't hear me say that."

"Why not?" Multi asked.

"Then she'll go tell Mom," Coiley said. "And since I'm older and she's younger, she gets away with it. The only time I ever get away with it if it concerns Sue or Reine."

Sue and Reine were Coiley's two older sisters, and they were off at college. While the boys took a break, Courtney came up to the stage, carrying the Impossibles' pet puppy, Skittles. She had big brown eyes, and long, brown hair, part of it up in a ponytail while the rest hung loose. She wore a dark fuschia long-sleeved shirt, black pants, and dark fuschia shoes.

"Thanks for doing this, guys," she said.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Coiley said. "But remember, you owe me big time."

"But you said a gig's a gig, right?" Courtney asked.

"Not when we're not getting paid," Fluey said. "I know it's for charity, and all, but next time, consult with us before you go and say you'll get us to play for your school, all right?"

"Okay, Fluey," Courtney said.

"Shhhh!" Coiley hissed at his sister. "Not so loud, Courtney! Someone'll hear you!"

"Sorry, I forgot," Courtney said. Oddly enough, Coiley's sister was the only person in their families who called them by their code names. Everyone else called them by their given names (Calvin Collins, Mark Mills, and Franky McAlister).

"How long can you guys go on without getting called from Mr. D?" Courtney asked. That's what she referred to Big D as.

"You know the chief, kid," Fluey said, shrugging. "We could get called in any minute. I hope."

"Ha, ha," Courtney said, sarcastically.

"You know how it works, Court," Coiley said. "If the chief calls, we've gotta book."

Once the gig was over, the Impossibles, Skittles, and Courtney went to the Impossi-Mobile. Then they drove to Martha's Diner, where Coiley's mom not only worked, but was also the owner.

"Okay, anyone not employed by the SSHQ, out," Coiley said.

"Can't I come with you guys for once?" Courtney asked.

"No way," Fluey said.

"Why not?" Courtney asked.

"It's too dangerous," Coiley said. "Mom'll kill me if I let you tag along with us. You never know when Big D's gonna call, and we have a concert tour coming up. I can't show up at gigs baby-sitting my baby sister."

Grudgingly, Courtney climbed out of the car and watched as her big brother and his friends drove away. Then she groaned, and stomped into the diner.

"Mr. Big Shot," she grumbled.

While Courtney was complaining about her brother, Coiley was doing the exact same thing about his sister.

"There are times when that kid really bugs me," he said. "She's a tattletale, and a tagalong."

"I'll trade you a spoiled brat three-year-old who throws a tantrum whenever he doesn't get his way," Multi said, referring to his half-brother, Adam (the product of his father's second marriage)."And not only do I have a bratty half-brother, I also have an older, biological sister who's Miss Priss. Not to mention a stuck up stepsister, a stepbrother who's a pain in the neck, and another half-brother with an IQ that reaches beyond a genius level."

(Multi's stepsister, stepbrother, and other half-brother, by the way, are from his mother's second marriage)

"But at least you have brothers, Multi," Coiley said. "I'm stuck between two older sisters and a younger sister!"

"Makes me glad I'm an only child!" Fluey commented.

"Don't rub it in," Coiley said.

"Besides," Multi said. "Courtney isn't _too_ bad as far as younger siblings go. At least she doesn't try to manipulate your parents, like Adam does!"

"Your half-brother's only three," Coiley said. "Your dad and your stepmother will get wise to his antics. Besides, he doesn't know any better. I just wish Courtney would stop wanting to tag along with us. She knows darn well we're in a dangerous line of work! Besides, both my mom _and_ my dad would let me have it if Courtney got involved in one of our cases!"

"Look, fellas, let's forget about the Sibling Sagas for right now," Fluey said. "We've got a concert tour to go on, and since crime's been slow, I say we should enjoy the peace!"

Coiley and Multi agreed, and decided to forget about their younger siblings (or in Multi's case, half-sibling) for now.


	2. Robbery at Starling Labs

While the Impossibles were rehearsing, trouble was brewing, at an old, deserted candy factory just outside of Megatropolis. Only, it wasn't so deserted anymore. Inside, there was a mysterious figure, mixing up some strange, bubbling concoction in a large vat. The factory was once the headquarters of The Candy Man Candy Corporation, but they had gone out of business years ago.

Only now, it looked like it was back in business.

The mysterious figure kept stirring his concoction, and laughed as he did.

"It's almost ready," he said. "Once I start manufacturing my masterpiece, then I'll be rich! I'll make millions! Now, all that's left to do is put in the secret ingredient. Unfortunately, I don't _have_ the ingredient I need. But that doesn't matter. I know exactly where to get it!"

The mysterious figure laughed, and turned down the heat of his concoction. Then, he left the factory and made his way into the city. He had to get to Starling Labs immediately.

Meanwhile, the Impossibles were rehearsing for their gig, when Coiley's guitar began beeping.

"Uh oh," Coiley said, taking his guitar. "It's Big D! The Impossibles reporting for duty, sir!"

"Get down to Starling Laboratories immediately," Big D said, appearing on the TV screen in the guitar. "There's a robbery in progress."

"Who'd break into a scientific research facility?" Multi asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Fluey said. "Probably after some top secret, scientific formula. My dad used to work at Starling Labs before he got assigned to the Fort Caleb military base."

"Okay then," Multi said. "Let's go!"

And with that, the Impossibles raced to the Impossi-Mobile, did their quick change routine, and blasted off down the street.

"Rally ho!" they shouted as they sped away.

The Impossibles had arrived at Starling Labs, just as a mystery man was leaving it, with a vile of some glowing goop in one hand, and a piece of paper in the other. He immediately saw the Impossi-Mobile pull up.

"Drat it," he grumbled. "It's those impossible Impossibles!"

"Surrender, you thief!" Multi shouted. "It's impossible to escape us!"

"Maybe, but I can sure as heck try!" the mystery man shouted. "Come and get me to interfering interlopers!"

"Is it just me, or is the dialogue from some of these crooks getting weirder and weirder?" Fluey asked.

The mystery man laughed like a lunatic and ran off. Multi shot to his feet, and dashed after him.

"Rally ho!" he shouted. He caught up with the mystery man, and duplicated himself to surround him.

"I've got you surrounded!" he shouted.

"Not for long, you don't!" the mystery man shouted, and he pulled what looked like a gum ball from his coat pocket. He threw it, and there was a giant explosion. The mystery man ran out from the smoke. Multi's duplicates had been destroyed in the blast, but at least the original came out of it only slightly singed.

"Rally ho!" he shouted once more, taking off after the mystery man.

"Things are going to start rolling along nicely," the mystery man said. "I hope you like jawbreakers, Multi Man!"

The mystery man threw a handful of jawbreakers to the ground. Multi hadn't noticed until he ran right into them, slipped, slammed right into a nearby brick wall, and was left seeing stars.

"Rally ho-ho!" Fluey shouted, going into a half-conversion of liquid, and flying after the mystery man. "You're all washed up!"

"You want me, Fluid Man, come and get me!" the mystery man shouted.

Fluey went into a full conversion, and charged. The mystery man ducked at the last minute, and Fluey dove directly into a metal trash can. Quickly, the mystery man slammed the lid on it tightly so Fluey wouldn't be getting out of there any time soon.

It was all up to Coiley now.

"Rally ho!" he shouted, springing into action. He stretched out his arms, and managed to grab the mystery man by his arms.

"Gotcha!" he shouted.

"Let go of me you overgrown bowling ball!" the mystery man shouted, and he struggled to get out of Coiley's grip, as Coiley struggled to keep him in his grip. The mystery man then took out a bottle, and sprayed something into Coiley's eyes. It was pepper spray.

"Aaaahhhh!" he shouted. "I've been assaulted and peppered!"

(_oooh, now THAT was a bad joke!_)

"Gotta love this stuff!" he laughed, and jumped on a red and white striped motor scooter and took off down the road. Skittles barked, revved up, and chased after him, but he was too far gone.

By that time, Fluey had just gotten out of the trash can, and Multi had pulled himself together as well. The team regrouped at the Impossi-Mobile.

"Who was that guy, anyway?" Multi asked.

"Beats me," Fluey said. "But he's long gone, now."

"I think we have more important things to do," Coiley said. "We have to find out what he stole."

Fluey and Multi agreed, and the boys started for the SSHQ building to do some research on Starling Labs.

Meanwhile, the mystery man arrived back at the Candy Man Candy Corporation's factory. He turned on the heat and got his strange mixture bubbling again. Then, he opened the vile of the glowing goop he lifted from Starling Labs, and poured it into the vat. Then, he laughed.

"It's perfect!" he shouted. "Soon, I'll make millions! And no one can stop me!"


	3. Billy Bonkers

The Impossibles spent the rest of the night, and into the morning trying to figure out which of the many formulas at Starling Labs the mystery man had stolen. They were over at Coiley's house, still involved in searching formulas.

"This is like looking for a needle in a haystack," Coiley said, looking at the computer printout from headquarters.

"Do you guys think maybe he stole an older formula?" Multi asked.

"Could be," Fluey replied. "Usually, whenever anyone at Starling Labs comes up with a breakthrough formula, it hits the news almost immediately. Besides, not even the people at the lab can tell what this guy stole. They've got to go through the archives, and those date all the way back to nineteen twelve!"

"I wish we knew who that guy was," Coiley sighed. "Then maybe we'd have an easier time with this."

As the boys were going over the formula list, Courtney came into the room.

"Whatcha guys doing?" she asked.

"Work," Coiley said. "Top secret stuff. We can't tell you."

"Oh," Courtney said. Then she turned on the TV and began watching the Saturday morning line-up. The boys tuned out the TV and continued looking at the formula list.

About an hour went by without any results, when Coiley's father, George, came into the room.

"Hi, guys," he said.

"Daddy!" Courtney shouted, launching herself into her father. Coiley looked up from the papers, a little surprised.

"Dad, what are you doing home?" he asked. "I thought you were working today."

"I know, but we have a new client," George said. He worked for an advertising agency, and often worked Saturdays. "I just came home to get my sketchbook so I can run some ideas by him."

"What client is this?" Coiley asked.

"He said his name was Billy Bonkers," George said. "He's in charge of the Candy Man Candy Corporation, which I find strange, considering they've been out of business for twenty years now."

"Sounds like he's back in business," Multi said.

"Yeah, he only reopened the place yesterday,"George continued, taking a sketch pad out of the desk drawer. "Anyway, Mr. Bonkers said he wanted to start a campaign for his new candy. The boss said this is a very big deal. Mr. Bonkers wants this to be huge. He wants us to come up with something that'll appeal to kids between the ages of five and eleven."

"Well, good luck with that, Mr. Collins," Fluey said. "Come on, fellas. We've got a formula to try and find!"

And with that, the Impossibles went out to the Impossi-Mobile. They decided to check out the Candy Man Candy Corporation, considering Coiley's dad told them it had been out of business for twenty years, and only reopened the day before, which, coincidentally or not, was when that mystery man broke into Starling Labs. Once they arrived at the factory, they found it in full swing. The boys walked up to the door, and knocked on it. The door opened, and a man wearing a long coat, black gloves, and a top hat stepped out.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," he said. "Permit me to introduce myself. My name is Billy Bonkers, president, CEO, and foreman of the Candy Man Candy Corporation. Welcome to my factory. What may I do for you?"

"We got a live one here," Fluey muttered.

"Uhh, we heard the corporation had been out of business," Coiley said.

"Oh, yes, yes it has," Mr. Bonkers said. "For twenty years. Twenty long, lonely, miserable years. It was terrible. Just plain terrible! I make candies to make little children happy, don't you know. How I love to make little children happy."

"Yeccchhh," Fluey groaned. This guy was a bit too saccharine for his taste.

"What made you decide to reopen?" Multi asked.

"To make the kiddies happy, silly boy!" Mr. Bonkers laughed. "I have a new treat in the works and it's going to come out soon. But I can't tell you what it is. It's top secret, don't you know! I mean, how do I know you weren't sent by my rivals, hmmm?"

"What made you go out of business in the first place?" Fluey asked.

"Oh those nasty, nasty people at the other candy companies," Mr. Bonkers said. "Oooohhh, they were always so, so, so, so, _so_ jealous of my success! They sent spies and stole some of my best recipes, and drove me out of business!"

Mr. Bonkers then let out a wail, and began sobbing. Coiley, Multi, and Fluey glanced at each other, and took a couple of steps back.

"Yeah, this guy's one brick shy of a full load all right," Fluey commented.

"Well, uhh, thanks for the information, Mr. Bonkers," Coiley said.

"Oh, you're quite welcome boys," Mr. Bonkers said. "And do drop in again sometime!"

The Impossibles just nodded, and went back to the Impossi-Mobile. Then they drove off.

"Let's get to HQ," Coiley said. "I want to look into this Billy Bonkers guy."

"Yeah, man," Fluey said. "There's something about him I don't like. And there's something fishy about his story, as well."

Multi agreed, and the Impossibles drove back into town towards the SSHQ building. Once there, they went into the main office to talk to Big D's secretary, Phyllis Dawson.

"We need some help," Coiley said. "We're looking for some dirt on a guy named Billy Bonkers."

"Let me check the files," Phyllis said, and she got up from the desk, and opened the filing cabinet on the other side of the room.

"Let's see here . . . ." she said, going through the files. "Boman, Bond, Bones, Bonham, Bonney . . . . . nope. No Billy Bonkers in our files."

"Okay, so he's not a wanted felon," Fluey said. "But for some reason, I just don't buy his story."

"I don't, either," Coiley said. "But that's not really an excuse to book him."

"Let's head back to your place, Coiley," Multi suggested. "We've got to figure out what that stuff he stole is."

"I know Starling Labs," Phyllis sighed. "They've got formulas all over the place, and it's going to be tough trying to find just one."

The boys nodded, and went back to the formula lists.


	4. The Great Escape

About a week went by, and still the Impossibles couldn't figure this out. They were sitting around Coiley's living room, trying to think this through, while Courtney was watching Saturday morning cartoons. Since Coiley's parents had gone out to run some errands, Coiley was stuck watching his sister until they got back. Multi, Fluey, and Skittles were only over there to work on the stolen formula mystery. They weren't paying much attention to the TV, until Courtney suddenly shrieked.

"Eeeeee!" she yelled. This startled the Impossibles, and they nearly hit the ceiling. Skittles yipped, and darted underneath the sofa.

"What?! What's the matter?!" Coiley shouted, thinking his sister saw something that scared her, or something like that.

"Look, Coiley! It's Dad's new commercial!" Courtney shouted.

"Oh, is _that _all," Fluey said. "Geesh, you nearly gave us a three person heart attack!"

"I'm sorry, Fluey," Courtney said. "But I always get excited when I see Dad's commercials on TV."

"I wish you wouldn't call us by our code names, Courtney," Multi said.

"Yeah, it might be dangerous," Coiley said.

"But you guys hardly ever go by your real names anymore," Courtney pointed out. "Besides, I never know whether to refer to Fluey as Franky or Tony anymore since you guys found out who his real parents are."

"Stick to Franky," Fluey said. "Anybody who calls me Tony has a death wish."

"Gotcha," Courtney said, though she didn't really think Fluey would punch her lights out. After all, she was just a kid. But she didn't necessarily want to take that chance. She knew Fluey was edgy about the issue of his parents.

"So what's Dad's latest commercial this time?" Coiley asked.

"Remember when he was talking about Billy Bonkers?" Courtney asked.

"Oh yeah, _that_ guy," Fluey said, rolling his eyes. "Let me tell you something, kid, he's about as nuts as a squirrel banquet!"

"Well, his new candy's about to come out," Courtney went on. "Dad wrote the commercial and everything. Mr. Bonkers liked it a lot."

"What's this candy called?" Multi asked.

"Berserkers," Courtney said. "They don't come out until next week, though. The commercials say they're coming soon."

"Sounds like Mr. Bonkers is playing them up," Coiley said. "Trying to start the craze before they hit the stores. Dad says it's an old advertising trick.

"Is that even legal?" Fluey asked.

"Yeah, I think it is," Coiley said. "As far as I know, I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to create a sensation before the product comes out."

Suddenly, Coiley's guitar started beeping. He picked it up, and pushed the button on the back of the neck.

"The Impossibles reporting for duty, chief," he said.

"I need you boys to investigate another break in at Starling Labs," Big D said.

"Again?" Fluey asked. "What's this guy up to now?"

"I'm not sure," Big D said. "My best guess is he's looking for more formulas."

"Could be," Multi said. "Let's go, guys!"

The boys then started running for the Impossi-Mobile. Courtney turned off the TV and began following.

"Wait for me!" she shouted. "I'm coming, too!"

"Oh no you're not!" Coiley shouted. "It's too dangerous! Mom and Dad will kill me if I take you along on a mission!"

"Mom and Dad will kill you if you leave me here by myself," Courtney pointed out.

Coiley groaned. He really wished his other two sisters had decided to go to a community college in town, instead of going to colleges out of state.

"We've got a problem here," Multi said. "Normally, I'd suggest we do the quick change thing here, and Fluey and I go after the crook, but that might not work."

"Yeah, who's to say one of the neighbors won't see the two of us leave here in our superhero forms?" Fluey said. "They might get suspicious."

"Yeah, and then they'll drop over and see me in my superhero form, and there goes our cover!" Coiley shouted.

"And we can't change without you with us, either, Coiley," Multi said.

"Wait, I just had a thought," Coiley said. "What if Skittles stays here with Courtney?"

"Yeah, that works for me," Fluey said. "She may be a puppy, but she's better than Lassie!"

"But that's not fair!" Courtney shouted, stomping her foot.

Without so much as another word, the boys raced out of the house, jumped into the Impossi-Mobile, and tore down the street. They'd switch over to superhero mode on the way to Starling Labs.

"Rally ho!" they shouted as they left.

Courtney grumbled, and went to the garage where she kept her bicycle. Skittles followed her.

"Come on, Skittles," Courtney said, picking up the puppy, and putting her into her bike basket. "They might need our help!"

Skittles barked. Courtney put on her helmet, opened the garage door, climbed on her bike, and began pedaling off.

Meanwhile, the Impossibles reached Starling Labs, where they found the same mysterious man they had encountered a week earlier, and he was carrying the same glowing goop he had stolen then, too.

"At it again, are we?" Multi asked.

"You again?!" the mysterious man shouted.

"You're not very bright, are you?" Fluey asked. "I mean, seriously, returning to the scene of the crime? Please, that's the oldest bad guy stunt in the book!"

"Well, I escaped you once, and I can do it again!" the mystery man shouted, and he pulled a gun out of his coat. He began firing it, but instead of bullets, the gun fired jawbreakers.

"Ow!" Fluey shouted, as one of the jawbreakers hit him, right through the lenses of his goggles and right between the eyes.

"I think you're up, Multi," Coiley said.

"Right," Multi said, and he duplicated himself toward the mystery man. "Rally ho!"

"Ho hum," the mystery man said, as he reloaded his gun. Then he began firing at Multi's copies, destroying them on impact.

"You got 'em all except . . . ." Multi started, until the mystery man fired again, and about five or six jawbreakers hit the red haired hero, dazing him.

"Correction," he laughed. "I got 'em all! Ha, ha, ha!"

"Rally ho-ho!" Fluey shouted, converting to liquid and charging the mystery man.

The mystery man merely yawned, and reloaded his gun again. He fired jawbreaker after jawbreaker at Fluey, but he managed to dodge them.

"I never liked jawbreakers," he commented.

The mystery man continued firing jawbreakers, and Fluey continued dodging them. He was so busy dodging the jawbreakers, he failed to notice he was going, and was straight for the power lines. He hit them half converted. Much buzzing, snapping, crackling, and spark flying ensued (as we all know, water and electricity don't mix). Fluey, still converted, fell to the pavement.

SPLAT!

"Oooh, _that's_ gonna leave a mark," the mystery man said with a laugh.

"Rally ho!" Coiley shouted, stretching one arm forward, and punching the mystery man in the face. The mystery man stumbled backwards, and dropped his gun.

"How'd you like that jawbreaker?" Coiley asked, grabbing the gun.

"I didn't," the mystery man said, and he pulled another gun out of his coat, only this one was larger and it fired bigger jawbreakers. "Fortunately, I always come prepared."

The mystery man fired a large jawbreaker out of his gun, and knocked the other gun right out of Coiley's hand. Coiley then sprang forward, avoiding getting clobbered by those giant jawbreakers, and tackled the mystery man. The two of them began engaging in a good, old fashioned brawl.

At that moment, Courtney pedaled her bicycle up to the scene. She saw the struggle her brother was in.

"Good thing I decided to come," she said. "Coiley's in trouble! Hang on! I'll help you!"

"What?" Coiley asked, diverting his attention for one second, but still holding the mystery man. Then he saw his little sister pedaling her bicycle toward the scene, so fast, she didn't even notice the pothole in her path. But Coiley did.

"Look out!" he yelled, but a little too late. Courtney hit the pothole and was catapulted off her bike. Coiley let go of the mystery man and sprang upward, catching his sister before she could hit the pavement. This gave the mystery man the ample opportunity to make his escape.

"So long, suckers!" he shouted as he jumped on his red and white striped motorized scooter and zoomed down the street. Skittles barked, and took off after him, but it was too late. He was long gone. By that time, Multi and Fluey managed to pull themselves together.

"Well, we're never catch him now," Fluey said, as Skittles came back, a little tired. Multi picked her up, and stroked her back.

"I thought you had him, Coiley," he said.

"I did, until my stupid sister showed up!" Coiley shouted, glaring at Courtney.

"I was just trying to help," Courtney said. "I thought you were in trouble!"

"In case you haven't noticed, I can handle things just fine! I don't need any help from you! Honestly, Courtney, you're just a big pain in the neck! You're always in my way! You always have to tag along with me! You never leave me alone! You're nothing but a big pest, and there are times where I wish you were never even born in the first place! Just stay out of my life!"

Courtney was a bit startled. She stood there, staring at her brother, wide-eyed with shock. Then she sniffled, burst into tears, ran to her bike, and pedaled as hard as she could toward her house. Coiley went to the Impossi-Mobile and climbed in.

"Come on, fellas," he said, still annoyed with his sister. "We've still got work to do."

"Hey, Coiley, don't you think you were a little rough on your sister?" Fluey asked, as he, Multi, and Skittles climbed into the car. "I mean, after all, she's just a kid."

"Fluey, Courtney is nothing but a pain," Coiley said. "I've had it with her always wanting to come with us!"

"Well, yeah, I dig you there," Fluey said. "But really . . . ."

"Fluey, I am really not in the mood to talk about my sister!" Coiley snapped.

And with that, Coiley drove off. Multi and Fluey glanced at each other, but said nothing. They figured Coiley would cool off after awhile.


	5. Berserk for Berserkers

Another week went by, and no leads on the missing formulas. It was driving them completely insane. And they weren't the only ones being driven insane. But it had nothing to do with the stolen formulas.

Parents across Megatropolis were being driven bananas! Almost literally, in fact. Those Berserker things came out right on schedule, and already, kids were going crazy for them.

The Impossibles were rolling down the streets in the Impossi-Mobile, on surveillance. They couldn't pass one single store that sold candy without seeing a few dozen kids practically tearing Berserker displays apart to get at the candy. There were also several kids throwing good, old fashioned temper tantrums (laying on the ground, kicking their legs, banging their fists, screaming at the top of their voices) in response to their parents telling them they wouldn't buy them.

"Now I know why they're called Berserkers," Fluey commented. "These kids are going berserk over 'em!"

"And that's what worries me," Coiley said.

"Has your sister been eating them, Coiley?" Multi asked.

"I'm not sure," Coiley said. "Dad came home the other night with a box full of these things, but Mom confiscated them right away. She never really ever let us eat candy, unless it was a special occasion or something like that. Matter of fact, I've been avoiding the little pest for the past couple of weeks."

"Don't you think you've held this grudge long enough?" Fluey asked.

"What would you know, Fluey?" Coiley asked, shooting his dark-haired teammate a dirty look. "You don't _have_ any brothers or sisters!"

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up about it," Fluey said. "Sheesh!"

"I just don't get what could be making these kids go crazy for these things," Multi said, changing the subject. "Do you have anymore at your place, Coiley?"

"Yeah, I should," Coiley said. "Let's go."

The boys then went to Coiley's house to get a look at the candies. They grabbed a bag from the large, cardboard box, and looked at it. Then, Multi opened the bag, and poured some of the rainbow colored spheres into his hand.

"They look like jawbreakers," he commented.

"Says here they're fruit flavored," Fluey said, looking at the package. "Who's gonna try 'em first?"

The boys looked at each other, nervously. They weren't sure they _wanted_ to try one. They were afraid they'd end up hooked on them, like almost every grade schooler in town. Multi just held them in his hand, and pondered over whether or not to try one. Fluey looked at the package, and read through the ingredients.

"Sugar, sugar, and more sugar," he said.

"Oh come on, it doesn't really say _that_, does it?" Coiley asked.

"No, I'm just kidding," Fluey said. "But it's the same stuff that goes into Skittles. The candy, not the dog."

Multi nodded. Skittles (the dog) got her name when she tore into a bag of her namesake candy Fluey had been eating at the time. They had to be specific.

"Look, fellas, we're going to have to try them to understand what these kids see in them," Multi said, finally. "I say we each take one at the same time."

"Well . . . ." Coiley said, staring at the Berserkers. Finally, he took one. Fluey did the same.

"Down the hatch," Fluey said.

The boys then popped their candy pieces in their mouths, and chewed. But as for swallowing, they couldn't do it. Almost immediately, they spat the candy out.

"Yecchhh!" Fluey shouted. "That tastes _ter_rible! I think I'd rather eat your sister's cooking, Multi!"

"And that's saying a lot," Multi said. He knew his eighteen-year-old sister, Windy, was probably the world's worst cook. _Nobody_ could eat her cooking. Not even someone with a cast iron stomach!

"Seriously, what could the attraction be?" Coiley asked.

"You think there's an ingredient in here that's not on the packaging?" Multi asked.

"I doubt it," Coiley said. "I think there's a law about food companies having to put everything that goes in it onto their labels."

"Yeah, probably from the same people who put the 'warning, content contains peanuts' on packages of peanuts," Fluey commented.

"Maybe we'd better take these down to the lab," Coiley suggested. "Dr. Phelps might be able to help us."

Multi and Fluey agreed, and they took the Berserkers down to the SSHQ's science lab. They gave the candy to Isaac Phelps, SSHQ's chief medical officer, Reggie Johnson, the SSHQ's chief inventor, since they were the heads of the SSHQ science department, which turned some heads in the agency, considering Reggie, at twenty-seven, was the youngest person in SSHQ history to be co-head of the science department.

"We can analyze these, but it'll take some time," Dr. Phelps said.

"How long do you think it'll take?" Coiley asked.

"A couple of weeks, tops," Reggie said. "These things can't be rushed."

"Yeah, if they are, they'll explode," Fluey said, thinking back to his adopted father, David McAlister, and his scientific formulas. Even though he had only been a toddler when Professor McAlister was developing his formulas, whenever someone rushed him, he remembered they always blew up.

"Maybe you boys ought to check this out at the source," Dr. Phelps said.

"Good idea," Fluey said.

And with that, the Impossibles started for the Candy Man Candy Corporation factory. Once they arrived, Coiley knocked on the door. Billy Bonkers answered it, smiling broadly.

"Hello, hello, hello!" he shouted, cheerfully. "What a pleasure it is to see you young gentlemen again. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We're a bit dissatisfied with your latest," Multi said.

"Oh really?" Mr. Bonkers asked. "How simply dreadful. My, my, my, my, my."

"We were wondering why practically every kid in town is hooked on these things," Fluey said. "It's like anyone between the ages of three and twelve are going bonkers for these things!"

"Everyone's tastes are different, my dear boy, you know that, don't you?" Mr. Bonkers asked.

"He's got a point," Coiley pointed out.

"Yeah, to his head," Fluey said, loud enough for Coiley and Multi to hear him, but soft enough so Mr. Bonkers wouldn't hear him.

"You must be making a lot of money with these Berserkers, though," Multi said.

"Oh yes, yes, I am," Mr. Bonkers said, nodding. "And let me tell you boys, I couldn't be happier! Making little children happy makes me happy!"

"So the mega bucks rolling in has nothing to do with it," Fluey said.

"Well, as I said, I enjoy making little kiddies happy," Mr. Bonkers said. "But there's no reason I can't pick up some spare change in the process, now, is there?"

"Right," Coiley said, giving Mr. Bonkers a weird look. "Well, see you around, Mr. Bonkers."

"Don't be strangers, now, boys," Mr. Bonkers said. "Drop over again sometime! Toodle-loo!"

"Sheesh! Where does he get his dialogue?!" Fluey shouted once the boys got back to the Impossi-Mobile.

"Beats me," Coiley said. "But I do agree with you about him being more nuts than a squirrel banquet, Fluey!"

Since that turned up a dead end, the only thing the Impossibles could do now was wait for Reggie and Dr. Phelps to get the results from the Berserkers back.

But in the following weeks, something strange happened. Billy Bonkers had released a statement saying that he was going to discontinue Berserkers.

"I can't figure this guy out," Fluey said, reading the newspaper. "Why is he discontinuing these things when he's making so much money off of them?"

"Like you've been saying, Fluey," Multi said, shrugging. "The guy is just nuts."

Naturally, Fluey couldn't argue that point. The parents of Megatropolis were relieved to hear the news, but the relief was short lived. Kids were craving Berserkers. They would do anything for them, practically anything! Some stormed into candy stores, and tore them apart, looking for them. Then, when they couldn't find them outside, they demanded the clerks tell them where they were. It was practically insane!

What was even more insane was the fact that there were junior high schoolers charging these kids for Berserkers, and kids were paying them with anything they could get their hands on. Money, jewelry, records. The Impossibles had busted several thirteen-year-olds for trafficking Berserkers!

"That's the fifth junior high school kid we've busted this week!" Multi shouted.

"Yeah, and it's only Tuesday," Coiley said, going through what one eleven-year-old boy paid for a pack of Berserkers, which was a sterling silver locket with the name "Candace" engraved on it, and a high school class ring.

"Now I've seen everything," Fluey said. "Black Market Berserkers. Let me tell you guys something, this is getting ridiculous!"

Suddenly, the boys heard the sound of a window breaking, and an alarm going off. Immediately, they raced into action.

"Rally ho!" they called out as they drove to the source of the alarm, which happened to be at a drug store. About twenty kids, all between the ages of eight and eleven, were running from the scene of the crime.

"This case just keeps getting crazier and crazier," Fluey commented.

Suddenly, the boys heard muffled screaming coming from behind the checkout counter, and went to investigate. There was a girl, in her early twenties, sitting on the floor. She had been tied up with some jump ropes, and a sweat sock had been stuffed into her mouth as a gag.

"Whoa!" Fluey shouted, as he, Multi, and Coiley got to work untying the girl. "These kids mean business about this candy!"

"Thanks," the girl said, once she got that sock out of her mouth. "Brother, you guys aren't kidding! I've never seen little kids act like _this_ before!"

"Neither have we," Multi said. "What did they get away with?"

"The cash register," the girl said. "It was really weird. We were still open, and they flung a baseball through the window, came in through the hole they made, and the next thing I know, I'm all tied up, and they tore the store apart looking for those stupid candies, and when they couldn't find any, they ran off with the cash register!"

"Boy, this is getting serious," Coiley said.

"Not to mention ridiculous," Fluey replied.

Almost immediately when the boys got back to the Impossi-Mobile, Coiley's guitar began beeping. He picked it up, and pushed a button on the back of the neck to activate the TV screen. Interestingly enough, it wasn't Big D calling, it was Dr. Phelps.

"Boys, I have the results of the tests I was running," he said.

"What did you find out?" Coiley asked.

"There's an ingredient in there that wasn't listed on the package," Dr. Phelps continued. "It's called Chlorosodium Monoglucoseryn Phenoglycerol."

"Gesundheit," Fluey said.

"What is Chlorosodium Monoglucoseryn Phenoglycerol, anyway?" Multi asked.

"Other than a keen tongue twister, that is," Fluey quipped.

"It's what was stolen from Starling Labs," Dr. Phelps said. "Twice."

"We know _that_, Doc!" Fluey shouted. "But what _is_ it?"

"It's an additive," Dr. Phelps said. "And a highly addictive one, as well. Once we found out what was in these candies, we looked up CMP. It was developed by a man named William J. Bonkers at the Candy Man Candy Corporation twenty years ago. He used it to put in his candy recipes to sell them. But the additive only works on people under the age of twelve. The government found out about his use of CMP, and shut him down."

"Thanks for the info, Dr. Phelps," Coiley said. "We'll get on it right away!"

Coiley signed off, and was about to put the car into drive when his guitar began beeping again. Once more, Coiley activated it, expecting the chief, but that's not who was calling. It was his mother.

"Mom?!" he shouted. "What are you doing?! I thought we agreed you wouldn't call us on this line!"

"I know, honey, I know," Martha said, and the boys noticed she looked, and sounded awfully nervous. "And you know I wouldn't call you on your guitar if it wasn't an emergency."

"How can you be calling on my guitar, anyway?" Coiley asked.

"I'm at the Secret Security Headquarters building," Martha said. "Big D let me use his console to call you. Calvin, Is your sister with you?"

"No, she isn't. You know I don't let her come with us when we're on a mission."

"Oh no . . . . ooohhhh . . . . . oh Calvin! Oooh, I'm so worried!"

"Calm down a minute, Mom. What's the matter?"

"Well, I got home from the diner, and the minute I walked inside, there were Berserker packages all over the floor, all of them empty. I think your sister got into them, so I went to ask her, but she wasn't home."

"Did you call her friend? She might be over at one of their houses."

"Yes, I called all of Courtney's friends, and nobody's seen her. Calvin, this just isn't like her! You know Courtney wouldn't go anywhere without leaving a note, or calling me or Dad . . . . or telling _some_body!"

"Well, don't panic, Mom. We'll go look for her."

And with that, Coiley ended the transmission, and turned to his team mates.

"We've got a family crisis," he said. "My sister's gone missing, and my mom's freaking out. She isn't at any of her friends houses, and Mom said there were Berserker packages all over the floor."

Before Multi and Fluey could answer, the guitar started beeping again.

"We oughta get call waiting for this thing," Fluey said. This time, it was Big D.

"I hate to interrupt, boys," he said. "Especially with your younger sister missing, Coil, but I have information which may help you. We've received word from the police station. Several parents have reported their children missing this afternoon. And the only clues they could find were empty packages of Berserkers."

"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking, fellas?" Coiley asked.

"I'm thinkin' it," Fluey said. "I think it's time we paid another visit to the Candy Man Candy Corporation's factory."

"Rally ho!" the boys shouted as they converted to Impossi-Jet and took off.


	6. Benedict Courtney

When the boys reached the Candy Man Candy Corporation's factory, they certainly didn't expect to see hundreds of kids going into the factory!

"Trembling transistors!" Multi shouting. "Do you guys see what I see?"

"Yeah, a kiddie convention," Fluey said. "I didn't think there were this many kids in Megatropolis!"

"There aren't," Coiley said. "Some of them must be from other cities."

"Maybe even states," Multi said. "We don't know how far these Berserkers spread."

"Jumpin' jukebox!" Coiley suddenly shouted.

"What's wrong?" Fluey asked.

"I recognize a lot of these kids!" Coiley shouted. "A lot of them are in the same class as my sister!"

"Do you see your sister?" Multi asked.

"No, but I have a feeling she might be in this crowd," Coiley said.

"We'd better check this out," Multi replied. "Let's leave the Impossi-Jet here, and sneak around back."

Coiley and Fluey agreed, and they were off. They went around to the back of the factory, and snuck in through a door. The kids just kept filing into the place, not really noticing anything around them. But just in case, the boys hid behind one of the large vats in the factory, just in case Billy Bonkers showed up. And he did, several moments later, to a cacophony of circus music (cheesy circus music, I might add).

"Hello, hello, hello my little friends," he said. "Welcome to the greatest candy factory on Earth!"

"Welcome to the cheesiest show on Earth," Fluey mumbled. "Good grief, this guy's so saccharine induced, my teeth are starting to hurt!"

"Shhhh!" Multi hissed. "You want him to hear us?"

Luckily for the boys, Mr. Bonkers didn't hear them. He just turned to all the kids.

"I'm so happy to see all of you," he said. "And I know you're all ever so happy to be here with Uncle Billy, now aren't you?"

"Yes, Uncle Billy," the children replied, all answering in monotone unison.

"This is starting to get creepy," Coiley commented.

"What do you mean starting?" Fluey asked. "This case has taken a turn from creepy right down to weirdsville! This is like something I once saw on the late-late-late-late-late show!"

"Now then, kiddies," Mr. Bonkers continued. "You love your Uncle Billy, don't you?"

"Yes, Uncle Billy," the children replied in unison, still in that monotone.

"And you love Uncle Billy's Berserkers, don't you?"

"Yes, Uncle Billy."

"You want Berserkers, don't you?"

"Yes, Uncle Billy."

"Well then, I will give you Berserkers . . . . . but you have to give me something in return. Now then, my dears, line up in an orderly fashion, and show Uncle Billy what you've brought in to trade for Berserkers!"

All the kids lined up single file, and started to present "Uncle Billy" with cash, jewelry, and the like. It was a lot of loot that had been stolen from stores recently. And "Uncle Billy" in turn, passed out Berserkers to the kids.

"That's it, little ones," he said, with a sinister snicker. "You just keep bringing me what I want, and I'll give you what you want. Who's going to throw a bunch of little kids in jail? I'll be the richest candy man in the world, and no one can stop me!"

"So that's his plan," Coiley said.

"Geesh, how low can a guy stoop?" Fluey asked, thoroughly disgusted.

"Come on," Multi said. "Let's get him!"

"Rally ho!" the Impossibles shouted, coming out into the open. Mr. Bonkers was not pleased.

"You again?!" he yelled. "You know, I am getting quite sick of you interfering with my plans!"

"Don't you know it's impossible to beat us?" Coiley asked. "You'd better surrender, Bonkers!"

"Harumph!" Mr. Bonkers shouted. "I don't know the meaning of the word! All right, kiddies! How would you like more Berserkers?"

"Yes, Uncle Billy," the kids answered.

"Very good," Mr. Bonkers said. "The first person who gets rid of those interfering Impossibles gets a hundred Berserkers! CHARGE!"

The kids immediately charged our heros. The Impossibles quickly used their super powers and jumped upward, and out of the way of the miniature army.

"Now what?" Coiley asked.

"Leave this to me," Fluey said. "Rally ho-ho!"

Fluey converted to a tidal wave, an charged toward the kids, pushing them back. The kids were completely soaked, and a bit dazed.

"That did it," Fluey said.

"A little rough, don't you think?" Multi asked.

"Nah," Fluey said. "I wasn't coming at them at full throttle like I normally do."

"Cone on, fellas," Coiley said. "We've gotta find my sister!"

The boys then walked among the kids, who were too dazed to even get up after having an unexpected bath (and they were also feeling a bit woozy from the Chlorosodium Monoglucoseryn Phenoglycerol). But finding one little girl in a mass of hundreds of thousands of kids was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. The boys hated to resort to one tactic, but they didn't have a choice. Besides, Mr. Bonkers wasn't around, anyway.

"Courtney!" Coiley called out. "Hey, Courtney, are you here?"

"Come out, come out wherever you are, Courtney!" Fluey shouted.

"Who knows if she's even here?" Multi asked. "I don't see her."

"Keep looking," Coiley said. "I'm sure she's around here somewhere. Courtney Louise Collins! Answer me!"

However, Mr. Bonkers happened to be hiding behind one of his own vats. He heard the boys calling out the girl's name.

"Hmmm," he said thoughtfully. "How very interesting. And lucky for me. Heh, heh, heh."

Quietly, Mr. Bonkers snuck to another part of his factory, and took out one of his Berserkers. A very large Berserker, in fact. He held it up and waved it around a little.

"Oooohhhh Courrrrrrt-ten-neeeyyyyyy," he called out in a high-pitched sing-song voice. "Courtney Colllllliiiiiins! I have something for yoooouuuuu!"

And, as luck would have it (bad luck for the Impossibles, that is), Courtney heard Mr. Bonkers calling her, and staggered over to him like a zombie. Mr. Bonkers smiled, and showed her the Berserker.

"Hello, Courtney," he said. "My, my, my, what a pretty little girl you are. Look what I have for you! A very, very _very_ special strawberry banana flavored Berserker! And it's just for you!"

"Thank you, Uncle Billy," Courtney said, as Mr. Bonkers handed her the Berserker, and she immediately popped it in her mouth and began chewing. Strawberry and bananas were a favorite mix of hers. Though Mr. Bonkers didn't know that. There was something "special" about his strawberry banana Berserker.

"Tell me, Courtney," Mr. Bonkers said, kneeling down to the girl's level. "Why are those Impossibles looking for you? Do you know them?"

"Yes," Courtney said. "Coil Man's my big brother."

"Your big brother, you say. Hmm. How interesting. Your big brother must care about you an awful lot, now, doesn't he?"

"Not really. I don't think he likes me much."

"Oh?"

"He gets mad at me a lot. He says I'm a pest, and he told me he wished I was never born."

"You don't say!"

"He also told me to stay out of his life."

"Really!"

Mr. Bonkers then made a "tsk, tsk" noise, and shook his head. Then he turned away and smirked. The strawberry banana Berserker not only had Chlorosodium Monoglucoseryn Phenoglycerol mixed it, but it was also laced with a powerful truth drug. Under normal circumstances, Courtney would _never_ tell _any_one, not even her best friend, that her big brother was one of the crime fighting Impossibles (singing group, yes, crime fighting team, not even if you offered to buy her all the Barbie dolls in the world).

"Courtney, my dear," Mr. Bonkers said. "How would you like to be my right hand man . . . . errr, girl? You'd get all the Berserkers you could ever want. For free. All you have to do is help me get rid of those Impossibles."

"Well . . . ." Courtney said, a little hesitantly, until Mr. Bonkers opened a door to his factory, and inside a room, a mountain of Berserkers awaited.

"All for you, little dear," he said. Courtney stared at the mountain of Berserkers.

"Yes!" she shouted.


	7. Trapped Like Rats

The Impossibles were still searching for Coiley's sister, but not coming up with anything.

"Maybe she isn't here," Multi said. "I haven't seen her."

"You might be right, Multi," Coiley said. "Usually, when someone calls her, she'll answer."

"Maybe she's too stoned on these Berserker things," Fluey said.

"You make them sound like some kind of illegal drug, Fluey," Coiley said.

"Well, these things kind of _are_ like drugs," Fluey said. "I've seen people stoned before. This looks a bit like it. Come on, let's keep looking."

As the boys were looking around, a pile of empty cardboard boxes fell from above. They crashed to the floor, nearly hitting our heroes. Impossi-Pup let out a startled yip, and hid behind Multi's leg.

"Crashing comets!" Coiley shouted. "What was that?!"

"Offhand, I'd say an avalanche," Fluey replied.

"Look up there!" Multi said, pointing to the catwalk. "It's Courtney!"

"Hey, Courtney!" Coiley called. "What are you doing up there?"

"DIE, YOU SCUM BAGS!" Courtney screamed, and she hurled a jawbreaker at the boys. It hit Impossi-Pup right in the head. The puppy gave out another startled yip, and then began whining.

"Okay . . . ." Coiley said, slowly. "Something's telling me she's still upset about what I said to her."

"How can you tell?" Fluey asked, sarcastically, as Courtney tossed another large jawbreaker at them. This one hit the ground, and exploded on impact. Luckily, the boys and Impossi-Pup had only been singed. But by the time the smoke cleared, Courtney had vanished.

"That kid is really getting on my nerves," Coiley grumbled.

"What I'd like to know is how she got her hands on an explosive jawbreaker!" Fluey shouted.

"Where do you think she got it, you twit?" Mr. Bonkers asked, walking across the catwalk with Courtney right behind him.

"It's him again," Fluey groaned. "The kooky candy maker."

"I prefer to think of it as genius," Mr. Bonkers said. "All right, Courtney dear. Let 'em have it!"

Courtney then ran over to what looked like a machine gun on the railing. She began turning a crank on it, and large Berserkers began flying out of the gun. They were moving so fast, the boys were having a hard time dodging them.

"Ow!" Multi yelled, as one hit him in the side of his face. "Now I know why they call them jawbreakers!"

"What'd you put in these, Bonkers?!" Fluey shouted, as he was pelted. "Cement?!"

"Well wouldn't you like to know?" Mr. Bonkers asked with a smirk.

"You're obviously lower than I thought you were, Bonkers!" Coiley shouted, ducking a flying Berserker. "Using a kid to do your dirty work!"

"Not just any kid, Coil Man," Mr. Bonkers said. "I know she's your sister! She told me herself!"

"What?!" Coiley shouted. "But she wouldn't . . . . ."

"Oh but she would!" Mr. Bonkers laughed. "After I gave her my special Berserker, laced with a truth drug!"

"Just when you think a guy can't stoop any lower," Fluey said.

"And now," Mr. Bonkers said with a snicker. "FIRE!"

Courtney began turning the crank on the machine gun thing as fast as she could. The Impossibles didn't have any other choice but to retreat. They ducked behind a vat for the time being, where they wouldn't get pelted with those jawbreakers.

"Now I know why they say candy is bad for you," Fluey said. "Anybody got any ideas?"

"I think I might have one," Multi said. "While Fluey and I distract Bonkers, Coiley, you get your sister and try to snap her out of it."

"Okay," Coiley said. "Let's get to it!"

"Rally ho!" the Impossibles shouted, and split.

In the meantime, Mr. Bonkers was searching for the boys.

"Alle alle oxen free, boys!" he called out in a sing-song voice. "Come out, come out wherever you are!"

"Rally ho-ho!" Fluey shouted, converting to liquid, and slamming directly into the kooky Candy Man. Mr. Bonkers was knocked off his feet, completely dazed. This gave Coiley the chance to get to his sister. He stretched his arm forward, grabbed Courtney by the arm, and pulled her towards him. She was so stoned on those Berserkers she didn't even notice.

"Come on, Courtney," he said. "We've gotta get out of here!"

"But Uncle Billy will give us Berserkers," Courtney said, sounding a bit like a zombie.

"Will you forget about those Berserkers? We've got to regroup with Multi and Fluey and then get the rest of these kids out of here!"

"But the Berserkers! I need Berserkers!"

Coiley sighed. Snapping his kid sister out of this was obviously going to be easier said than done.

Meanwhile. Mr. Bonkers had just come back to his senses, and was looking for the other two Impossibles.

"You've got to be around here somewhere!" he shouted.

"You're so right," Multi said, duplicating himself to surround Mr. Bonkers. "Better surrender, Bonkers!"

"Not a chance!" Mr. Bonkers said, and he took out his jawbreaker pistol, and began shooting at Multi's duplicates. He destroyed every last one of them, but the original had somehow disappeared.

"These Impossibles are impossible," Mr. Bonkers grumbled.

"Yeah, _that's_ for sure!" Fluey shouted, converting to liquid form, and splashing over the candy maker.

"Bah!" Mr. Bonkers shouted. "I'm getting away from you freaks of nature!"

"Look who's talking," Multi commented. "After him!"

"Rally ho!" the two Impossibles shouted, and ran after Mr. Bonkers. They chased him into another room of the factory, but he seemed to have disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Fluey asked.

"He's got to be in this room somewhere," Multi said. "There's only one way out of here, and we would have seen him if he tried to double back."

Suddenly, the door to the room slammed closed, and locked. An iron door fell from a panel above it, blocking the crack underneath it. Multi and Fluey were trapped.

"Glittering guitars!" Multi shouted.

"Don't panic, Multi," Fluey said. "We've been in worse scrapes before. I think we can still get out of here. Better call Impossi-Pup."

Multi nodded, and reached for his dog whistle. But before he could take it out, some sort of mist began coming into the room through small pipes in the ceiling.

"Hey!" Fluey shouted, coughing. "What is this stuff?!"

"What's going on?" Multi asked, coughing himself.

Suddenly, the two Impossibles began to feel sleepy, and they realized what that mist was.

"Knockout gas!" they shouted in unison, and then collapsed to the floor unconscious. Mr. Bonkers walked over to them, wearing a gas mask.

"Silly boys," he said. "Don't you know you'll never be able to defeat me? This gas is a special mixture of my own. You won't be waking up any time soon, which will give me enough time to dispose of you. I have just the thing that will take care of you. And once I'm through with you two, I'll get your fat friend. And your little dog, too!"

And with that, Mr. Bonkers began to laugh maniacally.


	8. Vat's All, Folks

Impossi-Pup could hear Bonkers's maniacal laughing on the other side of the door. The little puppy began whining, as she pawed at the ground, trying to figure out the best way to get in there. She backed up to the other side of the factory, revved up like a motorcycle, and blasted off for the door, knowing if she hit it going at her super sonic speed, she would definitely knock it off it's hinges.

Unfortunately, the door opened at the last possible minute, and Impossi-Pup was going too fast to notice. She ran directly through the open door, and crashed through the wall of the factory. She skidded to a halt, and looked around, greatly confused.

What just happened?

Impossi-Pup looked back and the factory, and grumbled a bit, sounding like Muttley. Then she revved up, and burst back into the factory, skidding to a halt in the room she blasted through. She knew Multi and Fluey had been in there, but they weren't anymore. She began sniffing around, trying to pick up a scent, but all she could smell was tiny traces of the gas that knocked Multi and Fluey out. It wasn't as strong now as it was before, so Impossi-Pup wasn't affected by it. She began whimpering when she couldn't find a trace of her friends. There was only one thing to do. She had to find Coiley and alert him of the trouble.

Coiley, in the meantime, was trying to get his kid sister to snap out of the Berserker haze she seemed to be stuck in.

"Come on, Courtney!" he shouted. "These Berserker things aren't good for you!"

"Uncle Billy says they are," Courtney said. She was still a bit under the effects of the truth drug laced in that one Berserker. "He said I could have all the Berserkers I want for free if I helped him get rid of you."

"Figures," Coiley groaned, rolling his eyes. Come on, Courtney, snap out of it!"

"Uncle Billy gives us Berserkers," Courtney went on. "And you want to take them away because you're mean, and bad, and you don't want us to be happy!"

"Oh for crying out loud . . . . Courtney, listen to me, he's got you in some kind of trance! You've got to snap out of it! Billy Bonkers is using you and these other kids to do his dirty work for him!"

"But he gives us Berserkers because they make us happy . . . . . and we love Uncle Billy so we make him happy by giving him stuff for Berserkers."

"I really hate to do this, but I don't have any other choice. Though I just _know_ Mom and Dad are gonna give me one heck of a lecture for this one."

Coiley took a deep breath, raised his hand, and . . . . . .

SMACK!

He gave his little sister a good, hard slap in the face. He really didn't want to do it, but he really didn't know what else to do. But it seemed to have done the trick.

"Ow!" Courtney shouted, glaring at him. "What'd you go and do that for, Coiley?! That hurt!"

"Sorry, but I had to get you to snap out of that haze you were in somehow!" Coiley shouted.

"Where are we, anyway?"

"The Candy Man Candy Corporation factory. You and a bunch of other kids came here for Berserkers. You ate them and became addicted to them."

"Sheesh."

"Yeah. Come on. We'd better find Multi and Fluey. I think Fluey might be able to break these kids out of this Berserker induced trance through the sprinkler system."

Suddenly, the siblings heard frantic barking closing in on them. A streak of lightning shot over and slammed right into Coiley's chest, knocking him off his feet, and causing him to slide across the floor a couple of inches. It was Impossi-Pup, and she sounded frantic.

"Take it easy, girl," Coiley said, petting the puppy to calm her down.

"Why is she barking like that?" Courtney asked.

"She only barks like this when there's big trouble," Coiley said. "And something's telling me Multi and Fluey are right in the middle of it, aren't they, girl?"

Impossi-Pup whimpered and nodded.

"Come on," Coiley said to his sister. "We'd better go find them."

"You mean I get to help?" Courtney asked, hopefully.

"Yeah," Coiley said. "I can't do this one by myself. Let's go. But be quiet."

Courtney nodded, and followed her brother and Impossi-Pup across the factory. Impossi-Pup began sniffing around trying to get a scent. Finally, she went into her pointer routine (_poing!_)

Coiley and Courtney saw this, and peaked around a vat.

"Holy horrific!" Coiley gasped.

"Uh oh . . . ." Courtney said. Impossi-Pup began whimpering.

Across the factory, Billy Bonkers was standing next to a lever. He had Multi and Fluey tied up back to back, suspended from the ceiling, over a large vat filled with some kind of glowing goop, in psychedelic colors. Mr. Bonkers laughed and pulled the lever, which began lowering Multi and Fluey closer to the vat of that psychedelic-colored glop.

"Oooh, how wonderfully wicked am I," Mr. Bonkers said, with an evil laugh. "This vat contains Chlorosodium Monoglucoseryn Phenoglycerol. The secret ingredient to my Berserkers. It's pretty harmless when you dilute it with things like sugar and cornstarch, and stuff like that, but straight up . . . . . well, this stuff could take the paint off that car of yours, and then some!"

Mr. Bonkers then pulled a coin out of his pocket, and tossed it into the vat. The psychedelic goo began bubbling and fizzing, and steam rose from it as the coin dissolved to nothing. Coiley and Courtney glanced at each other, nervous expressions on their faces. If that stuff could do _that_ to a coin, they could only imagine what it would do to Multi and Fluey!

"Can't Fluey just convert to liquid and slip out of those ropes?" Courtney asked.

"Normally he could," Coiley said. "And Multi could just duplicate to strain them. But I think they both must be unconscious or something, because they're not doing _any_thing! Not even struggling!"

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, but we've got to think of something and _fast_!"

Impossi-Pup stood there, anxiously. She was assessing the situation herself, but unfortunately, couldn't do anything about it. Mr. Bonkers was standing right there, watching with glee as Multi and Fluey were slowly being lowered to their doom. He'd definitely see the super pup if she tried to rescue them. Coiley was at a loss himself. He couldn't think of a single thing.

"Bonkers is obviously smarter than we thought," he said. "The bad guys usually leave their prisoners to their doom. They almost never stick around to watch."

"And 'cause he's standing there, that means we can't go and rescue Multi and Fluey right now, right?" Courtney asked.

"Right," Coiley said. "I don't know what to do!"

Courtney began biting her fingernails, watching as Multi and Fluey were getting closer to the deadly contents in that vat. She wished they would wake up. Then they'd get out of this. But they were still under the effects of Bonkers's knockout gas, and who knew how long it would take before they came to their senses? And Courtney knew she couldn't yell at the two of them to wake up. That would only attract Mr. Bonkers's attention, and then they'd be captured as well. It was beginning to look hopeless, until Courtney suddenly got an idea.

"Coiley!" she shouted, tugging on her brother's hand. "I just got an idea! I know what we can do!"

"Okay," Coiley said. "Lay it on me."

Courtney then whispered her plan into Coiley's ear. Coiley smiled and nodded.

"Great idea!" he shouted. "Let's hit it!"


	9. What a Way to Go

Mr. Bonkers was thoroughly enjoying watching Multi and Fluey inch closer and closer to the Chlorosodium Monoglucoseryn Phenoglycerol. The boys, still unconscious, couldn't do a thing about it. And it didn't look like they were going to be waking up any time soon. He snickered, hoping the boys would wake up when they reached the deadly, psychedelic-colored goo. He could just imagine their blood-curdling screams. As he was watching, he heard a familiar boinging coming toward him. He knew it was Coil Man. What else could be making that boinging sound? He turned, ready to toss the final Impossible into the vat, when he noticed something. Courtney was right behind him, with one of Mr. Bonkers's guns.

"Look, Uncle Billy!" Courtney shouted. "I caught one of those stupid Impossibles!"

"Ahhh, good, good, good, good!" Mr. Bonkers shouted. "Wonderful, wonderful! Now he can watch as we give his friends a nice, little dip. And then, we'll toss him in as well!"

"Don't you think it would be better to throw all of us in at once?" Coiley asked. "It would save time, and I could still escape if I had to watch you do my pals in."

"Hmmm . . . . . good point. Good point. Well then, we'll just have to modify this a bit now, won't we?"

Mr. Bonkers then pulled the lever once more, and Multi and Fluey stopped. Then he pulled a second lever, and the two Impossibles were suddenly raised. Then he pulled a third lever, and the boys were moved away from the vat. Mr. Bonkers pulled the first lever again, and Multi and Fluey were lowered to the floor.

"Now?" Courtney whispered to Coiley, so Mr. Bonkers wouldn't hear her.

"Not yet," Coiley said. "Wait until I give the signal."

Mr. Bonkers wasn't paying attention to the siblings. Instead, he started untying Multi and Fluey. When he was done, he stood up, ready to tie Coiley up with Multi and Fluey, but Coiley had other ideas.

"Now!" he shouted.

Courtney then pulled the trigger on the gun, and a sticky pink liquid came flying out of it, hitting Mr. Bonkers in the eyes.

"Hey!" he yelled, and he began staggering around, blindly. "I can't see!"

"Come on, fellas, up and at 'em!" Coiley shouted, shaking Fluey's shoulder to wake him up. Impossi-Pup was doing the same with Multi, except she was nudging him with her nose, whimpering.

"You know how you got me out of that trance I was in?" Courtney asked. "Why don't we try it with them?"

"It just might work," Coiley said, and he gave Fluey a hard slap in the face. "Look alive, Fluey!"

"Ow!" Fluey shouted, coming to. "Thanks a lot, Coiley, I _didn't_ need that!"

"Wake up, Multi!" Courtney shouted, as she slapped Multi as hard as she could. The red-haired Impossible groaned.

"What did you do that for?" he asked.

"Sorry, fellas, but we had to wake you two up somehow," Coiley said.

"What happened, anyway?" Fluey asked, rubbing the side of his head. He and Multi had a couple of killer headaches!

"The last thing I remember was Bonkers unleashed some knockout gas," Multi said. "Everything's a blank after that."

"Never mind that now, you guys," Courtney said. "You'd better get Mr. Bonkers before he gets that stuff out of his eyes!"

"What was in that gun, anyway?" Coiley asked.

"The Berserker filling," Mr. Bonkers said, managing to wipe that gunk out of his eyes. Then he flipped a couple of switches on his console, and picked up a plastic hose. The hose quickly filled with that psychedelic goop from the vat.

"And now, to get rid of you once and for all!" he shouted, shooting some of that junk at our heroes.

"Let's cut out!" Fluey shouted.

"Good idea!" Multi yelled, and the fivesome took off running, for the time being.

Mr. Bonkers laughed, and continued shooting his lethal mixture around. The Impossibles, Courtney, and Skittles managed to dodge it, but it wasn't easy. This stuff was eating holes right through the walls and the floor!

"We've got to get to higher ground," Coiley said.

"What about the catwalk?" Courtney suggested, pointing upward.

"Great idea!" Multi shouted.

"And we won't even have to use the stairs," Fluey said, converting to liquid. "Rally ho-ho!"

"Rally ho!" Multi shouted, as he picked up his puppy, and duplicated upward until he reached the catwalk.

"Rally ho!" Coiley shouted, as Courtney wrapped her arms around her brother's neck for the ride up. Mr. Bonkers glared at the lot of them.

"How now, brown cow?" Fluey asked, somewhat smugly.

"Why you no good, sneaky, dirty, rotten . . . ." he grumbled. Then he smiled. He knew he wouldn't be able to hit the boys, or Courtney or Impossi-Pup from there, so he did the next best thing. He started shooting at one end of the catwalk. The Chlorosodium Monoglucoseryn Phenoglycerol began eating through the supports, and it began to tilt downward, right toward the main vat of that psychedelic slop.

"Whoooaaa!" Fluey shouted, grabbing the other support before he could slide straight into the vat.

"Yipe!" Impossi-Pup yipped, and wrapped her paws around the railing. Coiley, Multi, and Courtney did the same thing.

"Heh, heh, heh," Mr. Bonkers laughed. "I wonder how long you boys will be able to hang around like that?"

"Not long," Coiley said. "Do your stuff, Multi."

"Right!" Multi shouted. "Rally ho!"

Multi duplicated off the catwalk, and used his copies to hold up the other end of it while the others got off. Once they were safe, Multi duplicated and surrounded Mr. Bonkers.

"Okay Bonkers, this is it," he said. "Better give up! We've got you surrounded!"

"Hmph!" Mr. Bonkers shouted, aiming his hose. "You haven't gotten the best of me yet!"

Mr. Bonkers began shooting out his concoction at Multi's duplicates. Every last one of them practically melted into a puddle of ooze. Fluey began to look a little green at the sight of it.

"Yeeecchhhh . . . . ." he groaned. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"That's nothing," Coiley commented. "He was gonna lower you and Multi into the vat of that stuff!"

"Oooh, now I _am_ gonna be sick!" Fluey moaned.

"I got 'em!" Mr. Bonkers laughed. Then he aimed his hose at Coiley, Courtney, Fluey, and Impossi-Pup. "Now it's your turn!"

"Aren't you forgetting something, Bonkers?" Coiley asked.

"Like what?" Mr. Bonkers asked.

"Like the original!" the original Multi Man shouted and he socked Mr. Bonkers just as he turned around, causing him to drop his hose.

"I'm getting out of here!" Mr. Bonkers yelled, and he ran off.

"After him!" Fluey shouted.

"Rally ho!" the Impossibles called out in unison, and raced after the demented candy man.

Mr. Bonkers ran up a set of stairs as fast as he could, right on the catwalk.

"You'll never catch me now!" he shouted.

"Don't bet on that, buster!" Fluey shouted, converting to liquid and going after him. "Rally ho-ho!"

Bonkers looked over his shoulder, and glared at the dark-haired Impossible, and growled. All of a sudden, Fluey turned back.

"Yikes!" he shouted as he retreated. Mr. Bonkers just laughed hysterically, and continued running, all the while shooting the Impossibles a smug look, until he began to slide downward.

"What the . . . . ." he said. Then he realized he had destroyed the catwalk earlier and he was sliding toward his own goo.

"Yaaahhhh!" he yelled, as he grabbed the railing.

"Let's go, fellas!" Coiley shouted.

"Rally ho!" the Impossibles yelled, and used their powers to grab Mr. Bonkers, but they were too late. Mr. Bonkers lost his grip, and fell directly into his vat of Chlorosodium Monoglucoseryn Phenoglycerol.

"YAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Blood curdling shrieks echoed through the factory.

"I'm melting! Melting!" Mr. Bonkers yelled as he sank. "What a world, what a world, what a world!"

(_have we guessed that "The Wizard of Oz" is one of my all time favorite movies yet?_)

"We'd better get him out of there!" Coiley shouted.

Multi grabbed a nearby metal pole, and stuck it into the vat. He moved it around, but didn't feel anything at all. He pulled it out, and saw that the Chlorosodium Monoglucoseryn Phenoglycerol had eaten the metal pole.

"Hollerin' hi-fi's!" he shouted. "This is some pretty potent stuff!"

Pretty soon, the screams died down, and the only sound that could be heard was bubbling from the various vats. The Impossibles, Courtney, and Impossi-Pup glanced at each other, and they were all thinking the same thing about the demise of this particular bad guy.

"Eeeeeuuuwwwww . . . . ."


	10. Epilogue

Moments later, agents from the SSHQ arrived, including Reggie and Dr. Phelps. They were walking around, administering an antidote to all the kids, who were all suffering from either an enormous tummy ache, a gigantic toothache, or a mix of both, yet. Needless to say, a good sum of the kids were bawling their eyes out (mostly the younger ones).

While Dr. Phelps and his medical team were administering the antidotes, Reggie and the science team were roping off the area. Most of them were wearing radiation suits as they emptied the vat of Chlorosodium Monoglucoseryn Phenoglycerol into toxic waste barrels, and wheeled them out to the truck. Reggie, the Impossibles, Courtney, and Impossi-Pup were watching, but from a distance, under Reggie's orders.

"How come we have to stand all the way back here to watch, Dr. Johnson?" Courtney asked.

"Just a precaution," Reggie said. "Dr. Phelps and I found out this is some pretty potent stuff."

"Yeah, man, _tell_ me about it!" Fluey shouted. "That stuff turned this factory into Swiss cheese!"

Reggie glanced around at all the holes in the walls, floor, and ceiling and nodded. As they were watching, Dr. Phelps walked over.

"That's the last of them," he said. "The rest of the agents are taking care of getting them home. Incidentally, what happened to Bonkers?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen him," Reggie commented.

"We can tell you where he is," Coiley said. "But you won't believe it."

"He's in the vat of that psychedelic slop," Fluey said. "Or at least he was. See, he fell in and . . . . well . . . ."

"Yeah, I get the picture," Reggie commented making a face. "Shee!"

And with that, the Impossibles, Courtney, and Impossi-Pup went out to the Impossi-Mobile, and started back to Megatropolis.

"Are you still mad at me, Coiley?" Courtney asked.

"No," Coiley said. "Not really. I didn't really mean what I said to you, either. You know when people get mad they say things they don't mean. Besides, we wouldn't have been able to beat Bonkers without your help."

"So does that mean I get to go with you on missions now?" Courtney asked.

"Don't press your luck, squirt."

"Hey, it doesn't hurt to ask."

Multi and Fluey cracked up at that. Coiley just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"So what's gonna happen to that stuff?" Courtney asked. "Are they gonna dump it down the sink?"

"Definitely not," Fluey said. "I asked Doc Phelps about it, 'cause I figured they'd send it back to Starling. They're not. They're gonna lock the barrels up at HQ. This stuff is too hazardous."

"That's for sure!" Coiley shouted. "At any rate, this Chlorosodium whatever it is will be safe at the SSHQ."

"Unless someone accidently decides to test it, and it causes a chemical reaction," Courtney said. "And then, Mr. Bonkers will come back but instead of a person, he'll be a giant, gelatinous blob of rainbow colored goop and he'll run rampant in the streets."

Skittles cocked her head to one side, and gave Courtney a look that clearly said, "huh?" The Impossibles just looked at her oddly.

"Courtney," Coiley said, finally. "You watch too much television!"

The End

(maybe . . . . .)


End file.
